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Title: April 2018 Newsletter

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COCShortDescription: Dear Ward 9 Neighbours, public safety is very important to your Team Ward 9 and I.

COCDescription: <p>Dear Ward 9 Neighbours, public safety is very important to your Team Ward 9 and I. As we have travelled from community to community and spoken with residents, businesses, students, and community institutions, public and community safety have come up in almost every conversation that we've had.</p>
<p><strong>Have you heard of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) program?</strong></p>
<p>If not, it’s a GREAT provincial resource that helps Albertans take back their neighbourhoods by dealing with problem properties. SCAN targets and shuts down properties that are regularly used for illegal activities such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Drugs</li>
<li>Gangs</li>
<li>Prostitution</li>
<li>Child exploitation</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>If there’s a suspicious property in your neighbourhood, DO NOT investigate it or approach the people who are there. Instead, file a complaint.</strong></p>
<p>To file a complaint</p>
<ul>
<li>Call 1-866-960-SCAN (7226)</li>
<li>Fill out the <a href="https://www.solgps.alberta.ca/_layouts/FormServer.aspx?XsnLocation=/FormServerTemplates/GOA_SOLGPS_SCANREQFORM.xsn?SaveLocation=/safe_communities/SCAN/SCAN%20Complaints2/&amp;OpenIn=Browser" target="_blank">SCAN Complaint form</a></li>
</ul>
<p>After you file a complaint:</p>
<ul>
<li>A SCAN investigator will contact you confidentially and discreetly</li>
<li>You WON’T be called as a witness or identified to any police agency or court</li>
</ul>
<h2>How SCAN operates</h2>
<p>After receiving a complaint about suspicious property, SCAN investigators can:</p>
<ul>
<li>Begin an investigation</li>
<li>Gather information</li>
<li>Issue a warning letter</li>
<li>Mediate the dispute</li>
<li>Apply to the Court of Queen’s Bench for a community safety order (CSO)</li>
<li>Take any measures necessary to safely and effectively close the property</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Note: A CSO is a court order that requires the occupants to vacate and allow SCAN to seize the property for up to 90 days; it can also impose conditions on occupancy or tenancy.</strong></p>
<p>Two SCAN units, operating out of northern and southern Alberta, work together with municipal law enforcement and social service agencies. Many of the investigators are former police officers with extensive investigative and surveillance experience.</p>
<p><strong>What are the signs of a property being used for illegal activity?</strong></p>
<p>If a property is being used for illegal activity, you may notice a high frequency or combination of some of these activities:</p>
<ul>
<li>Frequent visitors at all times of the day and night</li>
<li>Frequent late night activity</li>
<li>Windows blackened or curtains always drawn</li>
<li>Visitors with expensive vehicles</li>
<li>Unfriendly people who appear to be secretive</li>
<li>People watching passing cars suspiciously</li>
<li>Extensive investment in home security</li>
<li>Strange odours coming from the house or garbage</li>
<li>Garbage that contains numerous bottles and containers, particularly chemical containers</li>
<li>Putting garbage in a neighbour's collection area</li>
</ul>
<p>I know that public safety is important to you and my office and I will be increasing our communications to you in the future. In the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to all Ward 9 communities to give some suggestions and show some next steps on how my office and I will be working with you to make our communities even safer.</p>
<p>Gian-Carlo Carra</p>
<p>P.S. For the latest community news and other opportunities to get involved, <a href="https://gccarra.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5450c20cea5d235e33c2c9724&amp;id=f3aaa0b84a" target="_blank">sign up to the Ward 9 email list</a>.​​</p>

Dear Ward 9 Neighbours, public safety is very important to your Team Ward 9 and I. As we have travelled from community to community and spoken with residents, businesses, students, and community institutions, public and community safety have come up in almost every conversation that we've had.

Have you heard of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) program?

If not, it’s a GREAT provincial resource that helps Albertans take back their neighbourhoods by dealing with problem properties. SCAN targets and shuts down properties that are regularly used for illegal activities such as:

Drugs

Gangs

Prostitution

Child exploitation

If there’s a suspicious property in your neighbourhood, DO NOT investigate it or approach the people who are there. Instead, file a complaint.

You WON’T be called as a witness or identified to any police agency or court

How SCAN operates

After receiving a complaint about suspicious property, SCAN investigators can:

Begin an investigation

Gather information

Issue a warning letter

Mediate the dispute

Apply to the Court of Queen’s Bench for a community safety order (CSO)

Take any measures necessary to safely and effectively close the property

Note: A CSO is a court order that requires the occupants to vacate and allow SCAN to seize the property for up to 90 days; it can also impose conditions on occupancy or tenancy.

Two SCAN units, operating out of northern and southern Alberta, work together with municipal law enforcement and social service agencies. Many of the investigators are former police officers with extensive investigative and surveillance experience.

What are the signs of a property being used for illegal activity?

If a property is being used for illegal activity, you may notice a high frequency or combination of some of these activities:

I know that public safety is important to you and my office and I will be increasing our communications to you in the future. In the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to all Ward 9 communities to give some suggestions and show some next steps on how my office and I will be working with you to make our communities even safer.

Every winter my office receives phone calls, emails, Facebook messages and tweets about snow and the conditions of our roadways. From concerns about sidewalk and pathway clearing to windrows and access to public transportation, people are increasingly frustrated with our winter conditions and The City’s ability to effectively remove snow and ice and ease mobility issues.

This winter in particular, I have noticed a significant shift in our conversation about our priorities as a people and the need for a new approach to snow and ice control (SNIC). As we become a more urban and multi-modal city, inadequate snow removal on sidewalks, pathways, crosswalks and in front of bus stops has become unacceptable to many of our Ward 9 neighbours. Today our values not only include having safe roadways for cars (which is undoubtedly critical) but also involve creating a more accessible city that includes better access to walking, cycling and public transportation - even during the frigid winter months.

People often make comments to me about other cities in Canada and their ability to better clear snow on roadways and make sure sidewalks and crosswalks are accessible and safe. It is true that other Canadians cities are doing a better job. In fact, the City of Calgary has one of the lowest budgets for snow and ice removal compared to other major cities in Canada. Currently, The City’s Winter Operations budget is $38.7 million for 2018, an increase of $600,000 from 2017. Montreal’s budget for winter maintenance is $155 million, Toronto’s is $94 million and Edmonton’s is $63 million. Increased capacity to manage snow and ice in Calgary comes at a cost and a shift in our priorities as a city ultimately means a shift in our budget lines.

Calgary’s historic underinvestment in winter maintenance operations is largely due to the climatic realities of being situated on a high-plains desert that has one of the lowest precipitation rates in the country and often undergoes a freeze-and-thaw cycle due to our warm western winds (chinooks). As a result of our unique environmental circumstances, former and current City Councils have made the decision to invest your tax dollars into other city services rather than having the healthy winter maintenance budgets we see in other cities.

Having built a city that for decades has allowed urban sprawl to go largely unchecked has also produced challenges to snow removal, among other things. For example, if we were to place every piece of roadway in Calgary from end-to-end it would be enough to go to Halifax and back, twice! That is a lot roadway to clear every time it snows and it is my belief that is we want to tangibly see a better winter maintenance operation in our city we will need to invest at least another $50 - $60 million per year.

My question to all my Ward 9 neighbours is do you think it is time that the City of Calgary start significantly investing in our Winter Operations budget even if that means trimming in other services that The City provides? I have put together a survey that I am asking all Ward 9 residents to fill out on this subject which can be found at: www.gccarra.ca​

January is often a time where people reflect on the year that has just passed and make resolutions for the year to come. It is a chance for us to look back on our successes and challenges and take stock of what we have learned.

At the end of 2017, City Council and I engaged in this same reflective exercise as we reviewed and adjusted the 2018 municipal budget. 2018 marks the final year of Action Plan 2015-2018, Calgary’s first ever four-year budget plan. In November, we examined the successes of previous budgets and set ambitious goals for our future. I am pleased with where we are and look forward to developing One Calgary, Calgary’s next four-year budget plan.

Council also directed Administration to determine the cost of extending the Municipal Non-residential Phased Tax Program (PTP) to help Calgary non-residential property owners, and report back to Council in the first quarter of 2018 with a recommendation on either extending the PTP or finding a more efficient way to provide tax relief to businesses.

I am excited for the Great Neighbourhoods work we will be executing on throughout 2018. This budget purposefully focused on investing in safety, social services and public transit and easing the tax burden on Calgarians.

This City Council continues to display sound fiscal management and a solid track record, evidenced in the latest credit ratings which are among the best of Canadian municipalities.

I will continue to encourage balance and both social and fiscal responsibility for the City of Calgary and ensure that we maintain consistent fiscal performance, maintain a low tax burden and sizable financial reserves, as well as continue to be innovative and lead economic and population growth.

Gian-Carlo Carra

P.S. Speaking with residents, businesses, and community organizations is very important to me. I always encourage you to get in touch with me. If you’d like a phone call or meeting, please contact my office.​

I believe that great neighbourhoods make a great city and to build great neighbourhoods, community stakeholders have to work with their elected official to discuss the direction of their communities. This is why I am very proud to announce that I will be continuing to host the Ward 9 Community Objectives Workshops (lovingly known as COWs) in all Ward 9 neighbourhoods in 2018.

With the ward boundary changes coming out of the 2017 municipal election, and new communities being added to Ward 9, I am committed to hosting COWs in all of our new neighbourhoods, as well as following up in all of the remaining pre-2017 Ward 9 neighbourhoods.

What are the goals of the 2018 COWs?

The goals of the 2018 Community Objectives Workshops are to:

Identify the needs and concerns of residents, businesses, community institutions and service providers;

Prioritize those needs and concerns and discuss potential solutions;

Formulate a strategic plan to resolve and achieve these solutions;

Connect that strategic plan with the larger strategic goals of the Ward 9 Office; and

I continue to hear from residents across Ward 9 that they want to live in a city where planning and development makes dollars and cents, where local governance is improved, where City Hall is forward-thinking, where we have serious conversations – and there are clear plans - about how we fund and sustainably finance our city, and where we take control of our future through the City Charter discussions with the Province.

I am proud to tell you that the​ above 5-point transformation plan outlined in my Great Neighbourhoods platform continues to be delivered. The next couple of months will be very important in continuing this success.

In May, Council will be reviewing Calgary Housing’s 10-year capital development plan. Affordable housing is important to ensure that gentrification doesn’t displace our neighbours and also provides residents of all ages, all wages, and all stages, the ability to continue bringing vibrancy and completeness to our neighbourhoods.

Also in May, my Council colleagues and I will be reviewing our city’s emergency response model and the Rocky View County-City of Calgary Intermunicipal Plan. How and where we grow, plan, and develop have major effects on how we spend tax dollars to meet Calgary’s needs. Immediate ‘wins’ and getting it wrong now will cost us millions and billions in the future. I am focused on making sure we get it right the first time.

In June, the heavy lifting continues as Council discusses the new community growth strategy where we will be reviewing and prioritizing the business cases for new community development and their financial implications. Following that, the city-shaping Green Line will be front and centre as we discuss the implementation plan and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy that will outline priorities and resource needs for the upcoming budget cycle.

Lastly, City Council will be reviewing the progress of how we are performing against the key performance targets of the Municipal Development Plan and Calgary Transportation Plan. These documents guide every aspect of our growth and they influence the cost and revenue of, and to, Calgarians of that growth.

I am dedicated to making sure that City Council’s decisions benefit Calgarians now and in the long term environmentally, socially, and financially. It is important that we hold how we grow and develop to a high standard as that growth can either cost us, or save us, hundreds of millions and billions of dollars.

I will continue to fight that fight, and I hope I can continue to count on your support in that regard going forward.

Gian-Carlo Carra

P.S. Don't forget to sign up to the Ward 9 Email list for updates. You can do that by clicking HERE.​

Local area planning – the coming together to thoughtfully examine and determine how we want to drive the inevitable change that is coming to our neighbourhoods – is, in my opinion, one of the most critical elements to growing a great city and developing a truly democratic system that reflects the will of the people. That is why local area planning is one of the core tenets of my Great Neighbourhoods platform, which acts as the guiding document that sets out my mission at City Hall, and is so central to my work as your City Councillor.

Over the few last years we have been tirelessly working to improve our ability to holistically plan our neighbourhoods. I have advocated and worked with city staff to transform our planning system through a number of City initiatives – nextCITY, MainStreets, area redevelopment plans (ARPS), Green Line, and so on. Most recently, this work has culminated in the creation of the Developed Areas Guidebook (DAG), which, once approved, will act as one section of the second volume to the Municipal Development Plan​ (MDP). Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan sets out the policies that will dictate how the city will develop over the next 30 to 60 years. The Developed Areas Guidebook takes this one step further, by both reforming and clarifying the MDP and enabling the development of ‘next generation’ local area plans. The policy framework defined by the DAG will articulate a neighbourhood’s main streets, activity centres, community character and desired ‘built-form’, community services, mobility networks and infrastructure requirements.

As a result, this will be an extremely powerful tool for our Ward 9 neighbours to help them develop their neighbourhoods by preserving the things they love, advocating for the things they need, creating a complete, walkable, bikeable and transit-oriented community that is home to people of all ages, wages and stages.

Last year, I invited the residents of Ward 9 to join me for a series of Community Objectives Workshops (COW) to discuss the challenges, opportunities, strengths, and overall vision for the ward communities. I was humbled by the number of residents, social institutions, and businesses that came out to spend a time on a weekend with me and their neighbours.

At the conclusion of this workshop, I promised two deliverables:

The 'Raw Data Report' from the workshops; and

The Ward 9 Annual Strategic Report.

After meeting with hundreds of Ward 9 neighbours, I am very pleased to tell you that the Ward 9 Annual Strategic Report is complete. You can find an online version of the report (as well as the Raw Data Report) here - http://www.gccarra.ca/cow-strategic-report/

If you would like a hard copy, please let us know at ward09@calgary.ca and we will be happy to mail one out.

Businesses are integral to Great Neighbourhoods and it is my fundamental belief that great neighbourhoods are the most powerful tool we have to build a diversified economy. Additionally, on account of our industrial working landscapes, Ward 9 hosts Calgary’s second largest economic engine behind the downtown.

Over the last few weeks, many of you have reached out to my office concerned about how the City of Calgary’s revenue neutral tax policy has spread the pain of taxation across our local business community, as assessments in the downtown core have plummeted on account of historic vacancy levels; our non-residential tax base outside of the downtown having to pick up the tax slack has been exceptionally hard on Ward 9 businesses.

I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the increases to non-residential property taxes and how we plan to help. At the end of January, City Council endorsed the Municipal Non-Residential Phased Tax Program (the PTP).

During the Mid-Cycle Adjustments in November 2016, City Council set aside $15 million with the intention of shaving the peak off of the rising taxes that our small- and medium-sized businesses would be dealing with in 2017.

We quickly learned that defining what entities actually met a meaningful test for what constitutes a small- and medium-sized business was incredibly challenging, and in the face of this uncertainty, that $15 million probably wouldn’t be enough. Happily, on January 23, Council voted in favour of taking $45 million from savings so we could broadly offer relief to all non-residential property tax payers.

The PTP will reduce taxes to a 5% increase for all non-residential accounts assessed. What this means is that, despite the increases pushed across the board due to lower downtown assessments, any business in Calgary facing an increase in the municipal portion of their non-residential property tax will not have to pay an increase of more than 5%.

On the whole, I'm very pleased that Council understands the challenges facing Calgarians right now, and that we’ve managed the City into a position where we’re able to help. In total, Council has approved $183 million in supports for Calgarians, which includes $73 million in tax relief, $66 million in user fees and utility rate freezes, $9 million in targeted initiatives, and $35 million in lower revenues absorbed by the City of Calgary through efficiencies.

I will continue to work on the behalf of my Ward 9 businesses, institutions, and residents.

Over the last several years there has been a significant focus on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and how the recommendations coming out this challenging and important work impact us all. Many people mistakenly believe this to be an Aboriginal issue when, in fact, it is a Canadian issue, a Calgarian issue and a community-building issue.

Understanding that we all have a responsibility to heal our relationship with our indigenous brothers and sisters, your City Council has taken meaningful and lasting steps forward in a shared process of truth and reconciliation. These steps include: the publication of the White Goose FlyingReport (2016) that looks at the local adaptation for the TRC's 18 calls to action, the renaming of the Langevin Bridge to Reconciliation Bridge in January 2017, the permanent raising of the Treaty 7 flag in March 2017 and, most recently, the Indigenous Policy Framework presented at the Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services in April 2017.

The Indigenous Policy Framework is intended to establish the necessary policies and practices for the City of Calgary to move forward by understanding our shared history and how, as a municipality, we can be an active partner in the process of reconciliation. This incredible document is, in all honesty, one of the best reports I have ever seen come out of the City of Calgary and the first of its kind in Canada. It is something that I encourage all Calgarians to take the time to thoughtfully read.

The Indigenous Policy Framework is, in essence, Calgary’s creation story. Using the incredible expertise of our traditional knowledge keepers from the Treaty 7 First Nations, it describes how, since the beginning of time, this land has been a shared land. It has welcomed people from different backgrounds to live and prosper here and build communities that celebrate our diversity and thrive because of it.

This is the story of Treaty 7 people and we are all Treaty 7 people.

In honouring the creation story of our city we begin to recognize its contemporary significance and how it dovetails with the idea of great neighbourhoods. Great neighbourhoods are built on diverse people coming together, sharing the land and building community. This is still everything we are still working toward today.

In June we will be hosting the official renaming ceremony for the Langevin Bridge. I encourage all of you to come out and celebrate this historic moment.

I wanted to take this opportunity to express to all of you how lucky and privileged I feel to be a Calgarian and to have the amazing honour of representing the communities of Ward 9. In life we often have moments where we take a step back and think about all we have to be grateful for. I think that for us as Calgarians, and particularly as residents of Ward 9, one of our most significant expressions of our gratitude is Neighbour Day.

Neighbour Day signifies something important in our city – something that, for a long time, we have thought was uniquely our own. A time for us to gather with our friends, family and neighbours to celebrate the incredible resiliency our city demonstrated in the aftermath of the 2013 Floods.

That resiliency has been mirrored by our friends from Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo and all the northern communities impacted by the destructive fire we have witnessed. As Albertans helped us through the flood, we saw that same outpouring of generosity for our neighbours to the north from Calgarians.

This June, while some of the evacuees will have returned home, some may not have a home to return to and will be dealing with that devastating prospect. During this difficult time, we Calgarians have done our best to make Fort McMurrayites feel welcome in our City.

With Neighbour Day happening on June 18, let’s share in the events taking place in Ward 9 – from Tuxedo Park to Riverbend – and invite our new neighbours to enjoy the day with us.

Events can be big or they can be small.

This Neighbour Day, there are some incredible milestones in our ward. We have two communities celebrating anniversaries - Do​ver is turning 45 and Millican-Ogden-Lynnwood is turning 60. To commemorate, Team Ward 9 coordinated a photo project in each community. We have collaborated with local schools to help students bring out their meaning of ‘neighbourhood’ through photography. These photos will be exhibited at each Neighbour Day event and later displayed throughout each community.

We also have events happening all around Ward 9. Check with your community association or www.calgary.ca/neighbourday to see what’s happening in your area.

Thanks to all of you who have shown so much generosity and support to our fellow Albertans.

This October you and your fellow Calgarians will have the chance to participate in one of the most important and meaningful experiences we share as Canadians – voting. On October 16, 2017, you will have a great opportunity to have your say in the future of your community, your neighbourhood, and your city, as you head to the polls to elect a Mayor, your City Councillor, and your School Board Trustee.

Often, there can be cynicism about the political process of electing representatives who may not share or understand your personal views, priorities, or sense of direction for Calgary. When faced with that cynicism, remember that the thread that links these candidates is their love of community and belief that they can make things better for all of us. That diversity of vision, when tested against your questions and engagement, reveal the best person for the task in moving us forward, and for that opportunity, we should be grateful.

Unlike other orders of government, we interact with our municipal government everyday – from the moment we wake up, to the moment we head to sleep, and even in between. From providing safe drinking water and electricity to our homes, to paving, maintaining and clearing roads during the winter months, providing transit, supporting our police and fire service, to providing recreational programming and affordable housing to Calgarians, local government impacts our lives immeasurably.

This year, there will be significant changes in Ward 9 as the ward boundaries have changed. Communities like Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Rideau-Roxboro, Park Hill, Erlton, Acadia and Riverbend will find themselves in the new Wards 7, 8, 11, and 12, respectively.

During the next few months you will have candidates knocking at your door, calling your homes and reaching out to you in a myriad of ways to ask for your support and asking you to vote for them. Be prepared to challenge them with your questions about everything from street sweeping, to transportation, to their 60-year vision for Calgary. Sign up for their updates. Attend your candidate debates. Speak with your family, friends and neighbours, and most importantly, vote.

To make the process of voting easier for Calgarians, The City has created a website specifically geared to this October’s election. To sign up for updates, find out when and where to vote, and to confirm voter ID requirements, please visit www.calgary.ca/election.

Investing in long-term infrastructure projects that keeps our city moving and plans for our future growth is a top priority for City Council. Though these projects are absolutely necessary for us to tackle some of our transportation problems, there can be some short-term headaches and frustrations that come when major infrastructure projects are under construction.

The goal of your Team Ward 9 is to keep you as up-to-date as possible when major infrastructure projects are underway and let you know how they may affect your community.

Last week, the Glenmore Trail and Ogden Road S.E. Interchange Project started construction and is expected to be complete in late 2017. When the project is finished it will create a free flow roadway with no signal lights between Barlow Trail S.E. and Sarcee Trail S.W.

The project will initially start with the Glenmore Trail detour, which is expected to be complete in spring 2016. This detour will allow for traffic to flow through the area while the new roadway and interchange are being constructed, which will take approximately 18 months.

There will also be temporary lane restrictions and closures through the time frame of the project.

Right now, you may feel some of the construction impacts of piling (installing foundations for the new bridges), which may include loud noises and vibrations.

In the video Gian-Carlo explains what will be coming to Council on January 11, 2016, and how you can give your input on the planning merit of this project.

In September of 2015, City Council reviewed the land use application of the Old Imperial Oil site on 11th Street SE, north of the Ramsay Design Centre. The original request was for a land use change to Land Use District MH 1. This would allow for a building that incorporates both commercial and residential, typically 6-8 stories high.

Can we explore higher density?

City Council was concerned that the request for MH 1 was not enough density, particularity with the Green Line LRT station set to be built next to this site. The Councillors asked the applicant and the Ramsay business representatives if there was an appetite to pursue higher density. Seeing that there was, City Council requested that City Administration examine the possibility of a different Land Use District.​​

Categories: Development and Projects

This content represents the personal views and opinions of the Ward Councillor and should not be taken as a statement of policy of The City of Calgary. The inclusion of any external content does not imply endorsement by The City of Calgary.​

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ID: 4

ListCategory: Olympics

Title: Calgary 2026 Bid Exploration

Description: <p>​Calgarians are discussing whether our city should bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games​. </p>

Stronger Communities

An Even Smarter City Hall

​This story is an example of how we continue to work together to make Calgary a modern and efficient government focused on making life better for Calgarians every day. That means putting the citizen at the centre of everything we do.